Sunday, 31 January 2016

Doctor Who Vs. A Dorothy L. Sayers Mystery: Gaudy Night

The last television adaptations of the crime novels of Dorothy L. Sayers were originally transmitted on
BBC1 in 1987, and starred Edward Petherbridge as Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Walter as Harriet Vane.

This ten-part series followed two live television versions of Sayers' stage play Busman's Honeymoon (in 1947 and 1957), and five serials shown by the Corporation between 1972 and 1975 starred Ian Carmichael as
Wimsey.

The third and final, three-part serial, Gaudy Night (based on Sayers' tenth Wimsey novel and published in 1935) concluded another repeat run on the Drama channel yesterday and featured Caroline John (as Miss Burrows) and nine other Doctor Who cast and crew connections:

Clare Clifford (Graduate) was Professor Kyle (pictured) in Earthshock

make-up designer Jennifer Hughes was a make-up artist on Warriors of the Deep

Jennie Osborn was production manager on Enlightenment too

Bill Wild was the film editor on Arc of Infinity too

Elmer Cossey was also a film cameraman on (episode 5 of) Planet of the Daleks, Genesis of the Daleks, Revenge of the Cybermen, Image of the Fendahl and The Pirate Planet

BBC1's Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries began in 1972 with Cloud of Witness, and was followed by The Unpleasantness at the Bellona Club and these three further mysteries. Gaudy Night was not dramatised for the series. Murder Must Advertise (1973) featured Peter Pratt and eleven other Doctor Who links:

director Rodney Bennett also helmed The Ark in Space, The Sontaran Experiment and The Masque of Mandragora

David Hughes was also a studio sound assistant on The War Machines, Fury from the Deep, The Space Pirates (6),Colony in Space (1 and 6) and Horror of Fang Rock

Joyce Hawkins was costume designer on Horror of Fang Rock too

film editor Alistair McKay also edited The Green Death and (part 4 of) Snakedance

production assistant Edwina Craze was also PA on The Tenth Planet, The Krotons, The War Games (10), and Terror of the Zygons, and AFM on The Enemy of the World and The Mind Robber (she was married to Michael Craze)

Five Red Herrings (1975) concluded the series, and featured nine finalDoctor Who links:

producion assistant Peter Grimwade held that post on Spearhead from Space, The Daemons, Robot, Pyramids of Mars, The Robots of Death and Horror of Fang Rock, then directed Full Circle, Logopolis, Kinda and Earthshock, and scripted Time Flight, Mawdryn Undead and Planet of Fire

producer Bill Sellars was the director of The Celestial Toymaker

production manager Christopher D'Oyly John began his career as AFM on The Ark, was production assistant on The Macra Terror, The Invasion, The Silurians (1 and 7), Inferno, The Curse of Peladon (4),The Mutants (6), Carnival of Monsters and Death to the Daleks (1), then was unit manager on The Masque of Mandragora, The Hand of Fear, The Deadly Assassin, The Face of Evil, The Robots of Death and The Talons of Weng-Chiang